Website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR12Z8f1Dh8
Sony Music India has created a viral phenomenon, the likes of which has never been seen before in India, for the cross cultural Tamil-English musical hit Why this Kolaveri Di. Reaching over 20million hits and counting on Youtube, 3.6 million Facebook shares and #Kolaveri hash tag trending on Twitter amongst media, fans, journalists, celebrities and industry barons in just over two short weeks, Why This Kolaveri Di has become an overnight hit that has now crossed over into the international markets.
The video received 83,000 youtube views within 24hours when it was first released to now become the most viewed video on Youtube. Composed by the 21 year old Anirudh, the track is sung by Tamil superstar and now singer Dhanush. Usually used as a popular slang term amongst Tamil youth, the term Kolaveri, meaning ‘murderous rage’, is now being picked up by marketers and brands alike and people in other parts of the work as a form of expression. The track is also the first regional language (Tamil) song ever to see a high rotation on Mainstream Music Channels – play listed on 43 Radio Stations Pan-India and gaining an audience as far afield as Australia and Czechoslovakia.
The simplicity and originality of the viral has also deeply engaged its audience and is the first viral video to be replicated with fans re-creating their own versions of the viral video. Since the video hit youtube just over two weeks ago the number of responses has been steadily growing; even renowned Bollywood playback singer Sonu Nigam’s four year old son has made his own viral which has already notched up over 1 million hits.
“We believed in our creativity and when we sat with the Sony Music team they saw the true potential in it. Our creativity and their vision has led to the song exploding globally. We are proud to be associated with a team and an international brand like them as we see the true value they bring to music”, says Anirudh the 21 year old Music Director.
The video was shot by the Sony Music team and has a raw feel to it, similar to any making-of or unplugged recording. The natural un-staged set-up of the video allows the viewer to connect with the track, creating a deeper level of engagement that sets it apart from other Indian viral videos.
Why This Kolevari Di is a track that is changing the landscape of how music is shared in India. Shridhar Subramaniam, President India and Middle East Sony Music Entertainment and the mind behind creating the viral rage adds “There is a change in the music landscape that we all are witnessing today. Regional Music has huge acceptability- growing at the rate of 20% per annum and regional advertisements are becoming national and today the success of our song ‘Why this Kolaveri Di’ is an endorsement to this phenomena. We have been a part of the change since 2008 when we entered the Tamil Music market and today enjoy a 60% market share. Our outlook and strategy has been to expand in this market and our recent foray in the Punjabi Music Market is another such step.”
“Now, it has been our conscious effort to long tail ‘Why this Kolaveri Di’ concept by creating official dance mixes of the song, exploiting publishing and distributing the same. We want to keep it fresh, buzzing and alive till each person world over has seen/heard it.”
Planned as part of the soundtrack for forthcoming film “3” and gaining more hits each hour, Why This Kolevari Di has signalled a new era in Indian music and that is bridging the gaps between regional and international musical differences.
Why this Kolevari Di is available to download on ITunes.
source: http://www.mi2n.com/ Music Industry News Network / December 18th, 2011